Advancements in communication technologies have permitted the introduction, and popular usage, of new types of communication systems. As a result of such advancements, for example, significant increases in the rates of data transmission have been made possible and new types of communication services, utilizing the increased rates of data transmission, have been permitted. Advancements in digital communication techniques are amongst the advancements in communication technologies that have permitted the introduction of new types of communication services.
A radio communication system is exemplary of a type of communication system that has benefited from advancements in communication technologies and, also, the use of digital communication techniques. In a radio communication system, at least a portion of a communication path formed during communications therein includes a radio-link. Communications effectuated upon the communication path are effectuated with one or more mobile nodes at which, e.g., the communications are originated or terminated.
Improved communication mobility is inherently provided in a radio communication system due to use the radio link upon which the communication path is formed. Wire lines, otherwise required upon which to form the communication path, are obviated. And, due to the increased communication mobility, communications are effectuable pursuant to a radio communication system, from, and between, locations at which the use of a conventional, wireline communication system would be impractical or unfeasible.
Digital communication techniques have been utilized in radio, as well as other types of, communication systems. Digital communication techniques, generally, increase the efficiency of communication of information relative to conventional, analog communication techniques. In a digital communication technique, information that is to be communicated is digitized. And, once digitized, the digitized information is formatted in to, for instance, data packets. The data packets are communicated, either individually or in groups, to a destination. Once received at the destination, the packets of data are concatenated together to recreate the information content of the information of which the data packets are formed.
Communications effectuated by way of the world-wide web (WWW) are effectuated by packet-based communications. Content retrieval, as well as other communication services, are regularly effectuated between a content provider and a recipient station, typically a computer terminal. The computer terminal and the content provider are typically connected by way of wireline connections with the Internet backbone.
Protocols have been developed, and protocols have been standardized, that relate to packet-based communications. The Internet Protocol (IP) is exemplary of a standard, packet-based communication standard regularly utilized to effectuate packet-based communications. Standards relating to the Internet Protocol include, e.g., the IPv4 and IPv6 versions. In these versions of the Internet Protocol, operational parameters as well as the logical configuration of the IP network are defined.
For instance, sub-networks are defined. Each sub-network is identified by a prefix value, and the IPv4 and IPv6 define the nomenclatures of the prefixes that identify such sub-networks. Communication stations forming nodes of a sub-network are defined by the same prefix that identifies the associated sub-network.
When the node forms a fixed, wire line device connected by a wire line connection with other parts of the Internet backbone, the node is always identified, in part, by the prefix that identifies the sub-network with which the node is associated.
Increasingly, packet-based communications, including communications effectuated by way of the world-wide-web, are effectuated with mobile nodes rather than fixed nodes. The prefix identifying the mobile node does not necessarily, and quite regularly does not, identify the physical location of the node. Usage of mobile nodes by which to receive, or send, packet-based data requires the definition of home agents and care of (C/O) addresses. Use of C/O addresses provide temporary identifiers identifying temporary physical locationing of mobile nodes. A home agent identifies a home address, i.e., home sub-network, associated with the mobile node. The C/O address identifies a temporary, or visited, location, i.e., visited sub-network, of the mobile node. When data is to be communicated to the mobile node, the packet data is addressed, and routed to, the home agent. By providing the home agent with the identity of the C/O address, the packet data is re-routable to the C/O address and the mobile node located in the visited network associated therewith.
An access router is associated with each sub-network. And, in a radio IP network, an access router is associated with each access network of the radio IP network. Each access network defines a sub-network, identified by a particular IP-prefix identifier. The access router is operable, amongst other things, to generate router advertisements. Router advertisements include indicia of the prefix identifying the sub-network with which the access router is associated, and the address configuration information that indicate to a mobile node how to create IP addresses. Such address configuration information is needed to allow the mobile node to know what rules to use to create the address such as, e.g. stateless autoconfiguration vs. stateful autoconfiguration, etc.
When a mobile node roams into a visited sub-network, the mobile node must be able to obtain the indicia of the prefix identifying the visited sub-network into which the mobile node has roamed and is now associated and the address configuration information.
Such prefix and the address configuration information are used to create the C/O address of the mobile node. The C/O address is provided to the home agent of the home network of the mobile node, thereafter to be used to route packet data to the mobile node in its visited sub-network. The C/O address is formable in any of various manners, e.g., a stateless manner or a stateful manner. Therefore, for the C/O address to be formed, the mobile node must receive the information contained in the appropriate router advertisement.
When the mobile node is operable in a cellular communication system, system information is broadcast throughout an area to provide address configuration information, IP-prefix identifier information, and other information to mobile nodesSystem information is broadcast, e.g., at selected intervals. Pages are also broadcast to inform a designated mobile node of incoming communication. The terms paging area, access network area, and routing area shall all be used herein to refer to areas over which information is broadcast. In a cellular communication system, such areas are defined, usually to identify an area defined by one, or typically, a group, of cells. System information is broadcast throughout all of the cell, or cells, of the paging area. A mobile node operable in the cellular communication system is tuned to a broadcast channel defined upon which the system information is broadcast throughout the access network area. Cellular communication systems further generally define an RRM (radio resource manager) and, the RRM manages various operations, including system information broadcast functions by which system information are broadcast throughout access network areas.
As standards relating to radio IP networks have developed, access routers are generally associated with particular radio access networks so that a radio access network forms a sub-network of a packet-data network. If a manner could be provided by which to utilize the system information broadcast procedures used in conventional cellular communication system operations also to provide router advertisement information to a mobile node, care/of addresses could be created by the mobile node.
A manner by which to broadcast router advertisement information to mobile nodes operable in a radio IP communication system is needed so that the mobile nodes, when attached to a visited sub-network, shall be able to form care/of addresses. Utilizing existing system information broadcast procedures to effectuate the broadcast of the information would provide a convenient, non-disruptive manner by which to provide the information to a mobile node.
It is in light of this background information related to the broadcast of router advertisement, or other system, information in a radio IP, or other packet-based, communication system that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.